Diana Kassim – Artist

I’m Diana Kassim. I have never engaged myself in a single field of art. In my early childhood, I studied music for 8 years. My enthusiasm for Italian culture led me to study Italian to a fluent level and to achieve an Italian guide qualification in Hungary. I enjoyed that particular course, as I spent a whole year searching for artistic treasures throughout Hungary, which gave me a greater understanding of the history of art. The reason that I didn’t go on to become a guide, however, was that I felt the need to engage in creative activity day by day and to be surrounded by other creative people.

I studied makeup artistry and worked in that area in a freelance capacity for 9 years. I worked with photographers, actors, dancers, hairdressers, fashion designers, directors and cameramen. I gained a lot from working with other artists, as I needed to understand all these fields to be able to co-operate with them. I was able to improve many of my existing transferable skills. I came to appreciate the importance of teamwork, as the quality of my portfolio strongly depended on the work of the other members of staff. In addition, it gave me an understanding of the importance of deadlines. I worked on the set of live TV shows for 5 years. There was no excuse for delays.  I never specialised in a particular area of makeup artistry. I worked on weddings, photoshoots, live TV shows, TV series, fashion shows, exhibitions and transvestite shows. I did makeup and body painting. When there were no longer any new challenges for me in makeup artistry, I decided it was time to change direction and to experiment in something new.

I ran my own business in Yorkshire terrier clothes for half a year. I studied to enable me to work independently, and I improved basic skills in trading, bookkeeping and marketing. Although my business ran for only a short time, I’m proud that I was able to build up a community of 3000 people with an interest in this breed. Since September 2017 I have been using these skills to help in my husband’s business. I am responsible for customer service. I’m delighted that the business has got 100% positive feedback on the customer service I provide. I always try to do my best in everything I do.

I live in Nottingham since 2015. I moved to the UK because I have felt the need for new challenges. I studied art at Nottingham College (Fine Art Foundation Degree course), I graduated at Nottingham Trent University (BA Hons in Fine Art Practice).